NavList:

This is a rather odd sextant. Notice that the angle between the arms of the frame is about 45° as it is on an octant. And although the angular limits on the scale range from 0° to 120°, those limits are near the extreme ends of the scale. It's almost as if the manufacturer had a standard metal octant in the catalog and decided to extend the scale right to the limits so that they could market it as a sextant. The design choices are rather more like a 19th century octant, too. The rather basic precision that you describe, only one minute of arc, is also typical of earlier octant designs. Not that any of this implies there's anything wrong with it! It's just "interesting"... And the instrument appears to be in immaculate condition. it must have been stored in some unusual manner.

Frank Reed